I remember the first couple days I went vegetarian. As I stared at my brother gobbling down barbeque ribs at almost every dinner time, I always questioned myself, why did I ever do this? I felt as though I was suffering through those couple of weeks (coming from a big foodie). My nose was more sensitive to the delectable meats that sat on my kitchen table which made my writhe in pain. Nonetheless, as a month passed by, I started to notice some changes going on with myself. Not only did I notice physical changes, but mentally as well. Here are some of the changes I went through.

1. Getting to a healthy body weight

Before I gave up meat, I ate almost everything I could get my hands on. If you couldn’t finish your food, I would’ve probably take it off your plate and into my mouth. I was a human garbage can for leftover food. All of that changed when I dropped my then favorite food in the world, meat. I decided to step on the scale a month later and was so surprised that I lost ten pounds. My stomach wasn’t as protruding and my face wasn’t as chubby.

2. My breathing became more stable

I didn’t have asthma or anything but when I did things before, I would breathe heavier or when I pushed myself even farther, I would be out of breath. After I completed my workout, my face would be all would and soaking in sweat while I failed to quiet down my rapid breathing. This has settled down immensely becoming vegetarian.

3. I wasn’t obsessed with meat anymore

Now when I look at my brother chowing down on some KFC on our kitchen table I don’t have an urge to take a bite out of his crispy chicken wings. I still think that KFC smells amazing, but the smell doesn’t trigger my uncontrollable appetite anymore.

4. I was more active

One of the things I noticed the most was that I wasn’t as lethargic as when I was eating meat. I didn’t go to sleep right after I ate a meal and I was more vigilant about the things around me. I also was more energetic and positive according to close friends and family.

5. The feeling of accomplishment

If you’re like me, then you understand that one day you say you’re going to do something and then the next day you quit. Though I had a strong motivation to begin with, I would always break when the next days rolled by. When I got passed through that first month, I was so happy that I got so far. It made me so proud of myself to call myself a vegetarian.